MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is looking at the possibility of starting registration for the Philippine ID (PhilID) among Filipinos living and working abroad after the national elections in May next year.
Deputy National Statistician and Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista told an online forum on Friday (Nov. 12) that the PSA and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will pilot the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registration in some select areas overseas.
“We have to register everyone — all Filipinos, dual citizens are part of PhilSys,” Bautista said.
Similar to the ongoing PhilSys registration in the country, Bautista said overseas registration will have the same three steps—online collection of demographic information and appointment setting; biometric capture at registration centers; and issuance of PhilID and unique PhilSys Numbers (PSNs).
“Unfortunately, the cost of registering them when they are abroad is much more expensive than the registration of Filipinos when you are in the Philippines,” Bautista said
While the PSA was working out with the DFA for the possible use of consular offices as registration centers, Bautista noted that not all countries abroad have Philippine consulates or embassies. “Access is the most difficult.”
Bautista said the first step of online registration will be retained for overseas Filipinos to know where they were located then assign which consular offices they were nearest for the second step which entailed physical collection of biometric data.
In their ongoing discussions with the PSA, the DFA already pitched the use of caravans or registration centers in shopping malls which Filipinos abroad usually visit as alternatives to smaller and cramped consular offices, Bautista said.
“Or we can also have registration of overseas Filipinos when they come home to the Philippines to visit, for vacation, so that the cost of registration will not be as much as when they are abroad,” she added.
The PSA will also roll out a mobile app for PhilSys.
“The mobile app will enable registered users to verify their identity even without the physical card and transact with public and private sectors online, aside from the array of online services that we intend to include in the app,” Bautista said.
Bautista said the app will serve as a mobile ID. “That will facilitate earlier availment of benefits of having a PhilID even if you don’t have the physical card with you.”
She said the PSA was developing the app with PhilSys’ systems integrator but they were also open to third-party developers.
The PSA in 2020 awarded the P2.2-billion systems integrator contract to the joint venture of Megadata Corp. and Indian firm Madras Security Printers Private Ltd., which outbid at least 56 other firms that expressed interest.
National Statistician Dennis Mapa earlier said that the systems integrator was a crucial component of PhilSys as it “will serve as the link to ensure the seamless interconnection of all components of the PhilSys and will serve as the ‘glue’ that will bind all separately procured components into an end-to-end solution.”
Also, Bautista said the PSA was in ongoing talks with government agencies and private businesses to establish PhilIDs as proof of identity for transactions.
To date, over 41 million Filipinos registered with PhilSys to obtain their PhilIDs. The government targets to register 50 million Filipinos by this year’s end.
A total of nearly 3.3 million PhilID cards have already been delivered to registrants so far.